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Commodification Camps and the Tin Principles

Nomad Traveler really nailed it with this well-thought out comment about how the Commodification Camps are basically the complete opposite of everything Burners stand for. Note that he’s dropped the word “radical” from the list. Radical intrusion is to be avoided…wristbands, private bars and VIP entrances take care of that.

Nomad:

How these Commodification Camps score on the Tin Principles™:

1. Participation. Sure, the campers can participate if they choose and make the extra effort, but it is harder when you are sequestered and differentiated, pure and simple. These commodified campers are set up in a tourist role they would have to break out of.

2. Decommodification. Well, they are doing just the opposite, treating the NV burn like pork bellies to be bought, normalized, standardized, and sold.

3. Inclusion. Again, the opposite: their camps *Exclude* outsiders.

4. Self-Expression. Can’t do that if you fly in and have everything prepared for you as a standard commodity. If you were really motivated, you could do it, but it would be a challenge given the tourist role set up.

5. Self-Reliance. Again, the opposite: they completely rely only on their money to buy others to rely on.

7. Communal Effort. Again, the opposite. These people could be in a coma and still come if they had the cash. The only communal effort is what others have bought together with their money.

8. Civic Responsibility. Given their trampling on the Tin Principles™, they are only responsible through buying what they get. Excluding or treating ousiders as second-class people is wrong; in our theme camp they are always treated as valued guests.

9. Leave No Trace. Only by paying others to clean up after them.

10. Immediacy. Again, zero. They have everything pre-planned.

This is why both the BOrg and their Tin Principles™are a farce – a facade to let the loyal have their rationalizations to support their denial of the facts.

Keep in mind that the Principles are things burners DO, not how they judge others or expect to be judged. That is the context of this list, with the person as the operative element.

Saying that you should radically include people who are not like you is a derivative objective judgment; instead, radical inclusion should be what everyone personally does when they are in BRC, not a justification for being there.

THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES
We now understand that the BOrg has abandoned any adherence to their Tin Principles(tm), so the question is: what does guide them?

1. Shamlessness. Inability to process shame in a healthy way.
2. Magical Thinking. See themselves as perfect using distortion and illusion, and dump shame on others.
3. Arrogance. Elevate selves by degrading others.
4. Envy. Use contempt to minimize others.
5. Entitlement. Consider themselves superior.
6. Exploitation. Using others without regard for their feelings or interests.
7. Bad Boundaries. Others are extensions of themselves, and exist only to serve their needs.

Issues also surface when you consider morality and those who seem to be exempt from those constraints:

The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious. So it was agreed without further argument that the milk and the windfall apples (and also the main crop of apples when they ripened) should be reserved for the pigs alone.

Humans ability to use rationalization to allow themselves feel OK about doing pretty much anything continues to be somewhat astonishing.

“One Law For All” is the way things should work everywhere for everyone about everything. Instead it is typically the law (rule) makers creating laws (rules) thinking about how they will apply to everyone, except themselves (and their friends, relatives, etc and basically anyone else who will pay them money)

Yup. As much as most hoped to keep the default world out of BM, it has seeped in.

I thought your link was going to be to the post about the good folks at that camp who gave away those “pee funnels” for female burners were bounced for supposedly scalping tickets on ebay (but it seemed like it was a misunderstanding) while the org does their own version of scalping their own tickets while they have rats all over ebay looking for people reselling BM tickets. So anyway…. it will interesting to see how it all plays out.

Keep up your great efforts burnersxxx, you are much appreciated and doing good 🙂